Death Metal

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    On Thorns I Lay - Threnos (2020)

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    We are quite psyched that Greek Death/Doom legends On Thorns I Lay have remained active and releasing albums since they reformed back in 2015. With “Threnos”, the band continues their musical journey with yet another powerful and melancholic release. Featuring over 45 minutes of music, this album delivers on the band’s signature style while adding a few surprises to keep the listener’s engaged and entertained.

    The opener, “The Song of Sirens”, has that signature OTIL sound of their 90’s releases, with the firm growls, crafty riffs and subtle atmospheric keyboards, perfectly contrasted by weeping lead guitars and a hyper melancholic atmosphere. We particularly love the band’s timeless mixture of heavy foundations, like crushing riffs and tight drumming, with dramatic atmospherics delivered by the keyboards, clean vocals, and string arrangements on tracks like “Ouranio Deos” and the superbly catchy “Cosmic Silence”.

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    God Dethroned - Illuminati (2020)

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    Delivering a firm and switch brutal onslaught of intense riffing, today we have God Dethroned and their latest opus “Illuminati”. Luckily for early fans, Henri Sattler decided to revive the band a few years back and now they unleash one hell of a release divided into nine ear-piercing tracks. While not long in duration, the 36 minutes of music presented are some of the finest this Dutch outfit has ever produced.

    The album title track opens the release with a vicious old-school Death Metal vibe, perfectly adorned with Blacked Harsh screams and lush atmospheric keyboards. With “Broken Halo” continuing in the same fashion, we are completely floored as “Book of Lies” unleashes hell with piercing riffs and brilliant melodic intensity. This last track is definitely one for brutal headbanging, and with some contrasting solemn guitar leads, it is just magical.

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    Devilish Impressions - Postmortem Whispering Crows (2019)

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    The amount of quality Polish bands breaking into the Metal scene in the last few years has been outstanding. Today we have Devilish Impressions and their uniquely Melodic/Symphonic Blackened Metal style. Featuring all new members other than founder Quazarre, the band delivers a very promising and short EP, demonstrating their excellent craftsmanship and promise of what is to come.

    Starting with the bleak “Dvma”, the band sets a very enigmatic and oppressive mood. The catchy guitar work is perfectly contrasted by a nice variety of vocal styles and tight drumming. We particularly enjoy the creepy mournful slower sections that are highly atmospheric and pretty eerie. The meaty hooks of “Cingvlvm Diaboli”, give a certain Death Metal vibe to this more intense track, filled with Satyricon-esque guitars and solid headbanging passages.

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    Memoriam - Requiem for Mankind (2019)

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    Continuing their prolific trayectory, UK’s Memoriam unleashes their third full-length release “Requiem for Mankind” this June. Formed by members and ex-members of some of the finest British DM bands like Benediction and Bolt Thrower, this band plays straight up no bullshit old-school Death Metal. Delivering over 45 minutes of crushing music, the band perfectly pays homage to their roots, while crafting some brilliant moshing and headbanging moments.

    The album kicks off with the chugging riffs of “Shell Shock”, an old-school track filled with heavy guitars and the characteristic raspy growls of frontman Karl Willetts. With a nice melodic edge to it, this opener nicely leads into the catchiness of songs like “Undefeated”, “Never the Victim” and the pummeling “Austerity Kills”, which brings back memories of our 90’s Death Metal cassette collection and band like Unleashed, Grave and Entombed.

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    Ataraxie - Résignés (2019)

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    Unleashing a dense and punishing Funeral Doom/Death Metal release, today we have Ataraxie and their latest effort “Résignés”. Featuring four tracks and over 80 minutes of music, the listener is in for monumental 20 minute tracks that slowly unravel to unleash heaviness and brutality. Blending old-school Death Metal elements into their Funeral Doom composition, the band creates a very unique and ravaging aural assault.

    The album leads with the pummeling “People Swarming, Evil Ruling”, as heavy crunchy riffs lead the way to traditional growls and an overall feeling of helplessness. We particularly enjoy the dreamy interlude that breaks the song in two, just before more brutality is around the corner. Our version of the release continues with the album title track, a song that combines the rawness of Thergothon with the weeping guitars of Mournful Congregation in a crushing package.

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    Fallujah - Undying Light (2019)

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    Moving away from the lively Progressive/Technical Death Metal from their last release, Fallujah returns with the atmospheric “Undying Light”. Having lost long-time vocalist Alex Hofmann and guitarist Brian James since the last release, has made Fallujah turn into uncharted territories with their sound. Featuring 10 tracks and over 44 minutes of music, this release feels a bit too atmospheric and experimental to be digested easily. The sound is crushing and commanding at times, but at other times it just feels lost and unguided.

    Opening with “Glass House”, we get that sweet Melodeath riffing from French bands like Hacride, but with extra kick and aggression thanks to new vocalist: Antonio Palermo. Some Deathcore elements are back and they sound ok when mixed in with semi-proggy passages, as in “Last Light”. For those looking for sheer brutality and catchiness, “Ultraviolet” achieves this with superb drum patterns and solid riffs. On the other hand, we have tracks like “Dopamine”, which feel a bit too convoluted with too many things going on at once and not really engaging the listener. The dreamy guitar leads are great, but the vocals kind of ruin the mood on this track.

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    Misery Index - Rituals of Power (2019)

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    Unleashing over 35 minutes of crunchy modern sounding Death Metal, today we have Misery Index and their latest release “Rituals of Power”. Masterfully combining raw brutality with craftiness, the band pummels through nine tracks filled with intricate guitar work and inhuman growls. With their fifth full-length release, this American outfit is ready to get the crowds moshing and prepared for devastation.

    First and powerful, “Universal Untruths” delivers waves of crushing guitars and crafty drumming, setting a very punishing and intense vibe since the beginning. As the band steamrolls through “Decline and Fall” and “The Choir Invisible”, we notice how they deliver signature DM elements with a modern and fresh take, allowing their sound to be both classic and yet fresh. For those of use craving intensity, “New Salem” is the perfect example of abusive guitar work brilliantly paired with meaty hooks and an intense tempo.

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    Eternal Candle - The Carved Karma (2018)

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    It is not everyday that you receive a release from a band hailing from Iran. With our curiosity peaked, Eternal Candle’s debut full-length “The Carved Karma”, is one hell of a Progressive Death/Doom Metal release. Combining elements from old-school Death Metal, Doom Metal all perfectly paired with a Progressive edge, this release delivers almost one full hour of masterful music. For fans of old Opeth, Katatonia, My Dying Bride, this release will certainly resonate with you.

    Immediately after the dreamy instrumental opener, the band gets down to business with the sheer power of “The Ripped Soul”. Reminding us of Amorphis on their “Privilege of Evil” days, this track is heavy and pummeling, thanks to its powerful riffs and old-school vibe. Things quickly move into more Progressive / Katatonia-esque territories with the intricate “Sick Romance”, and even further into old-school Death/Doom influences with “A Path to Infinity”.

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    Unleashed - The Hunt for the White Christ (2018)

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    Back in the day when we started listening to Metal music, a loooong time ago, we remember having a tape of the Unleashed debut “Where No Life Dwells” and worshipping their ‘different’ sounding Death Metal music (in comparison to their American counterparts). Fast forward 27 years and the band’s sound is still timeless and equally punishing. With “The Hunt for the White Christ” the band continues to spread that heavy and crunchy old-school Swedish Death metal sound.

    Bursting at the listener with “Lead us Into War”, we are instantly enveloped by the band’s sinister old-school sound. The guitars are flowing, the pace is hecting and the timeless vocals of Johnny Hedlund rattle our speakers as tracks like “You Will Fall” and “Stand Your Ground” demolish our eardrums. We particularly enjoy songs like “Gram” were the riffing is vicious and more mellow passages are perfectly introduced to keep the listener guessing and never bored.

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    Outre - Hollow Earth (2018)

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    Right up there with Behemoth, Vader and Hate, Outre is one of the most brutal and demoralizing Metal bands to come out of the Polish scene. Delivering another ravaging release with “Hollow Earth”, the band focuses on unleashing pummeling tracks filled with hate and destruction. Greatly improved from their 2015 debut “Ghost Chants”, the band is here to stay and level audiences and listeners in their path.

    Setting the mood with a foul atmospheric intro, the release does not wait to hit hard with the blistering pace of “The Order of Abhorrence”. The band’s new vocalist, Mateusz Zborowski, keeps things interesting with a wide range of styles and levels of intensity that perfectly drive the aggression of the musical foundation. The guitar work in this release is exemplary as layers upon layers of distortion and crafted to create very thick and demoralizing walls of sound, like on “Combustion” and “Let the Earth Be Silent”.

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